Sea Urchin

This morning I went to the farmers market and saw a beautiful sea urchin for sale.  I have not tried it before but it is all the rage right now.  So, I decide to try it.

Sea Urchin take one...

I tried cutting it open.  I have seen people on T.V. cutting the top off of it.  I tried unsuccessfully.  I decided to cut it open horizontally.  Inside were a lot of black viscus stuff, some smooth blackish panels and some orange caviar looking stuff and at the bottom is this funny bony portion that I have no idea what to do with.

To the internet I went.  What I found out on the internet is first that I tried cutting open the wrong side and that the only part I wanted to keep was the orange caviar looking stuff.

During the process of opening and cleaning the Sea Urchin to get the precious Uni this dark liquid went every where and stained my counter and hands.

At the farmers market I was told to either eat it plain or add some lime to it.

Four of us tried it both with and without lime.  It is a delicate, slightly sweet flavor.

Though none of us cared for it we are happy we tried it just to find out what the hype was all about.

Antoinette